Riaz Mamdani was leaving his home in a dark Rolls Royce just after 8 a.m. when he was shot. He was rushed to hospital in serious condition, but was later upgraded to stable. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi reacted following the shooting of his friend Mamdani, saying all shootings in the city are tragic. "In this case, this is somebody I know," he said. "The reason I know him is because this is someone who came to this country in 1972 as a refugee from Uganda, who came with nothing, and built up one of the most successful businesses in Calgary, in Western Canada, and is an incredibly important philanthropist."

CALGARY – A South Asian real estate developer from Calgary who has been the subject of numerous legal proceedings in recent years is in stable condition after being shot outside of his Mount Royal mansion last week.

Riaz Mamdani was leaving his home in a dark Rolls Royce just after 8 a.m. when he was shot. He was rushed to hospital in serious condition, but was later upgraded to stable, reported CBC News.

The vehicle's front end was damaged and at least three bullet holes could be seen in a window on the driver's side.

Another person was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting but was not injured, said Staff Sgt. Travis Baker.

He said the shooting appears to have been a targeted attack.

"I don't want to go into details of the investigation at this point, but it does, from our standpoint, look very specific," said Baker. "An exact motive is not known at this time."

Police described the suspect as a man in a bright orange jacket.

Police are also looking into whether the shooting is connected to the discovery of an SUV on fire nearby.

Fire crews were called about 8:10 a.m. for reports that a white SUV parked between two garages was ablaze in the 3800 block of Seventh Street S.W.

Flames spread to the attic of garage next door and crews had to go inside and pull down the ceiling to extinguish that fire.

"The time is pretty consistent with the fact the shooting occurred then shortly thereafter there was a vehicle fire reported, so we're certainly looking into both of them with the strong suspicion they are connected," Baker said.

Mamdani is the CEO and founder of the Calgary-based real estate investment and development company, the Strategic Group.

According to its website, Strategic Group "owns, manages and develops office, retail and apartment properties across Canada."

Mamdani has been the subject of a number of legal proceedings in recent years, including a $10-million lawsuit filed in 2014. The suit alleges Mamdani and others raised $6.4 million to buy a parcel of land, however the deal fell apart without adequate explanation to investors.

Mamdani is also one of several defendants named in a class-action lawsuit involving companies associated with the Platinum Group in which 2,200 investors lost an estimated $200 million buying commercial real estate entities between 2002 and 2012.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi reacted following the shooting of his friend Mamdani, saying all shootings in the city are tragic.

"In this case, this is somebody I know," he said. "The reason I know him is because this is someone who came to this country in 1972 as a refugee from Uganda, who came with nothing, and built up one of the most successful businesses in Calgary, in Western Canada, and is an incredibly important philanthropist."

Nenshi said the Mamdani family has "always been there for us, so I hope the community will be there for them as well."

Baker said police are looking into all aspects of Mamdani's background to help uncover a possible motive for the attack.

"If this is business related, we would certainly be exploring those things. We'll be looking at all different kinds of motives," he said.

Mamdani has been able to speak to investigators and is being cooperative, said Baker.

"Very serious injuries as you can well imagine, but he is speaking to us," he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

About the Author

Raj Paul Dhillon is an award winning journalist based in Vancouver, Canada. He received his second National Best Editorial Award from the National Ethnic Media and Press Association of Canada, presented to him by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on November 21, 2010 in Toronto.
Aside from an extensive writing/editing work with a number of newspapers and magazines (currently the editor of the South Asian LINK newspaper, the oldest South Asian newspaper in Canada), he has also done freelance writing for mainstream publications like The Vancouver Sun and Georgia Straight newspapers. He holds a degree in Communications and in Film from Simon Fraser University.

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